In his STRIKEFORCE debut, Ryan Couture, son of MMA legend Randy Couture, defeated Lucas Stark by triangle choke.
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Not only was this Ryan Couture’s Strikeforce debut, but it was his professional debut as well. Ryan accumulated a record of 4-1 as an amateur, finishing the majority of those fights by submission, at least one of which was finished in the first minute of the fight.
Sources say that Ryan Couture is an extremely talented fighter with tons of potential, and could be a strong, viable challenger in a Lightweight division in the very near future.
In an interview with Strikeforce.com, Ryan was asked if he feels extra pressure to perform given the identity of his famous father.
“Being who I am, I feel like I get a lot of extra attention, but the only extra pressure I feel is the kind that I put on myself from trying to perform to the level that I know I can. There are going to be very few people that have the kind of impact on the sport that my dad has, so thinking I will equal that would be unrealistic. So I’m just trying to do everything I can to make sure I perform to the best of my abilities. The rest will take care of itself.”
Rumors have circulated for the past couple years that Randy Couture would soon be making an exit from UFC, the majority of the individuals making those comments speculating that Couture would go wherever Fedor Emelianenko was currently under contract. Given that Fedor is currently with Strikeforce, that would be where Randy Couture would have to go if he wanted to fight “The Last Emperor”. The fact that Ryan Couture is with Strikeforce right now will likely play a part in “The Natural” ending up there.
Did UFC make a play for Ryan Couture?
Did Strikeforce make the better initial offer?
Will UFC scoop up Ryan before Randy heads to Strikeforce?
Are MMA fans ever going to get to see the legendary battle of “The Last Emperor” Fedor Emelianenko against “The Natural” Randy Couture?
When people are looking at Ryan Couture’s contract situation and thinking about its ramifications on Fedor vs Randy Couture, are they overlooking a potentially great Lightweight fighter who just happens to have a father who was once considered the best in the world?
Time will tell, but as for tonight, Ryan Couture should be praised for his successful debut, and we at GuysNation will be very anxious to hear what he has coming up next.
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*starts countdown clock to him fighting for the UFC*